Jets’ Geno Smith Is Up for Drills, but Not for Questions

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — The last four weeks have given quarterback Geno Smith ample time to reflect — on his future with the Jets, on the Aug. 11 altercation that left him with a broken jaw, on his standing among his teammates — and he said he learned a valuable lesson.

“Yeah, I’m going to keep that to myself,” Smith said.

That statement doubled as the theme to Smith’s interview session Monday. In his first public comments since a former teammate, Ikemefuna Enemkpali, punched him in the Jets’ locker room because of an unpaid debt, Smith declined to answer any questions about the altercation.

Those questions included whether he deserved any blame for what happened; whether he regretted putting himself in that situation; whether Enemkpali had apologized to him directly; and whether Smith had repaid the $600 in airfare and limousine fees that had been at the heart of the disagreement between the two Jets.

“I just want to move on,” said Smith, who is expected to miss the Jets’ first four games because of the injury. “That’s what I’ve done.”

To that end, Smith said he would not file charges against Enemkpali, whose friends said he punched Smith because Enemkpali felt disrespected and shamed by what he perceived as Smith’s continued unwillingness to pay back the money.

Smith had intended to attend Enemkpali’s instructional camp July 11 in Texas until someone close to him got in a bike accident, changing his plans. Smith did not notify Enemkpali about his absence, friends of Enemkpali said, and the situation festered into training camp, when it became a joke among players who would ask if Smith had paid back the $600. Friends of Enemkpali’s said that Smith provoked him by shoving his finger in his face before the punch.

“There’s still an investigation being done,” Smith said, referring to the N.F.L.’s interest in the confrontation, “so it’s not really important for me to say anything about it. That will clarify more things than anything.”

Told that fans remain curious about the events that precipitated his losing his starting job, Smith said, “Imagine how I felt.”

No one who witnessed the episode has spoken publicly about it, though some players — most notably Darrelle Revis and Willie Colon, two of the team’s locker-room sages — have indicated that both players were responsible. Smith said that he was “not at all” embarrassed and that he did not think his teammates perceived him any differently.

“As a team, you receive body blows and you move on,” Coach Todd Bowles said. “Whether he got hurt or someone hit him or he tripped over something and fell on the street — if he broke his jaw, he broke his jaw. You deal with it at the time and you move on.”

The Jets did move on. Hours after the punch, they cut Enemkpali, who latched on with Buffalo and his former coach, Rex Ryan. (After being released Friday, he is now a member of the Bills’ practice squad.) Bowles also committed to Ryan Fitzpatrick as the Jets’ indefinite starter, and it is difficult to imagine Smith’s reclaiming the job upon his return unless Fitzpatrick plays poorly in the first few games.

Smith, declining to address what he considered a hypothetical situation, said missing the preseason was “definitely a big setback,” though he said he had tried to make up for the lost time by doing twice as much work.

“Sometimes you’ve got to play the cards that you’re dealt,” Smith said. “I’m not going to sit here and say I regret it because it happened.”

Smith had surgery on Aug. 13 and has made consistent progress. He has been attending meetings and practice for the last two weeks, and on Monday he participated in positional drills, wearing a helmet as he threw passes. As long as he can tolerate the discomfort, Smith said, he has been cleared to participate in any football-related activity aside from live drills.

“You’ve just got to keep working,” Smith said. “These things happen in life. Unfortunately it happened to me. I’m not going to hang my head, I’m not that type of guy. I’m not weak-hearted.”

EXTRA POINTS

Todd Bowles said the Jets were not inclined to pursue a veteran backup quarterback at the moment, leaving the rookie Bryce Petty to play behind Ryan Fitzpatrick until Geno Smith returns. Bowles also ruled out Devin Smith (ribs) for Sunday’s opener against Cleveland.

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page B9 of the New York edition with the headline: Jets’ Smith Is Up for Drills, but Not for Questions . Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe